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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Brrrr

Wow, it's cold. It was -13 degrees at feeding this morning. That's not the wind chill, that's the actual temperature, and yes, that's minus 13, not dash 13. Yikes! The horses are all doing fine. It's much warmer in the barn, but still we worry. The average high this time of year is 45. Wouldn't that be nice!

How do we cope with the cold? I use the Bag Lady technique; lots and lots of layers. My body stays pretty comfortable, but my hands and feet get cold. I pre-heat my gloves and socks by the fireplace, and I keep my boots on a boot warmer/dryer.

The horses' winter coats range from extremely dense to barely there. Zan is a wooly bear. He is comfortable in a medium/heavy blanket at -13 degrees. Reggie and Boomer have average coats. In extreme cold, we double-blanket them with a blanket covered by a medium sheet. Delicate Paj has almost no coat. He wears a wool blanket liner, a blanket, and a breathable Gore-Tex sheet. Geez.

Paj and Reggie

triple and double-blanketed

We are very careful about how long we let them out on these cold days, trying to balance the need to move against the danger of getting too cold.